The wolf spider, also known as the hunter spider or ground spider, is a startling species to encounter due to its large, hairy appearance and ability to move very fast.
What separates the wolf spider from most others is that it doesn't spin webs to catch their prey. Instead, these spiders hunt their prey, moving quickly to chase down their meal. This skill is exactly why wolf spiders are named after the wolves who roam the woods.
Wolf Spiders usually enter homes by accident or while searching for prey. Their diet mainly consists of smaller insects, and when entering a home, they may seek shelter in small, confined spaces, such as under furniture and floorboards.
You wouldn’t want to come near a Wolf Spider, as they tend to bite when alarmed. Wolf spider bites can be painful, as they inject small amounts of venom, but they usually aren’t severe to humans and may only be itchy and irritating.
Pest control experts designed our DIY wolf spider treatment guide to make it easy to treat and protect your home and yard from wolf spiders.
If you are looking for an easy way to get rid of wolf spiders, follow these step-by-step directions and use the recommended control products. You will be guaranteed to get Wolf Spider control.
Identification
In wolf spider control, you need to identify the pest and ensure you are dealing with a wolf spider. Misidentification can lead to a waste of time and money, as the wrong treatment methods can be used.
- Wolf spiders are often confused with tarantulas because of their large size. They range from a quarter of an inch to as large as over an inch long.
- They have 8 eyes in total. Four small eyes are arranged below two large eyes, and another pair of medium-sized eyes are arranged over the two larger eyes.
- Wolf Spiders are colored a bright brown with black markings and are very hairy.
- They also have the features of appendages on the front of their body that they use to snatch their targeted prey.
- Wolf Spiders don't spin webs and can climb and swim. But they like staying close to the ground, preferring to live in underground tunnels, open fields with lots of grass, or under yard debris and leaf litter.
- Also, much like the wildlife wolf, wolf spiders can patiently lie in wait for insects, small lizards, and even smaller spiders. At the right opportunity, they will pounce and rapidly catch their prey, going full throttle at about two feet per second.
Use the description and image above to help you identify wolf spiders. If you are having trouble, contact us, and we will help you identify your spider problem and offer control recommendations.
Inspection
Where To Inspect
Wolf spiders have spots on their bodies to help camouflage them. Because of this, they can easily blend into their environment and go unnoticed.
Wolf spiders are typically found in open grassy areas like yards, fields, or pastures. They don't spin webs but instead burrow underground. They can also be found under yard debris in mulch and flower beds, shrubbery, or firewood.
Indoors can be around doors and windows or in garages or basem*nts behind or under clutter.
What To Look For
You will want to keep an eye out for the wolf spiders themselves.
Wolf spiders don't leave any remnants that indicate they have been active in the area, so you'll have to scan closely in cluttered areas for wolf spiders since this is where they harbor.
Treatment
Before applying any chemicals, please ensure you have the proper personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, a protective mask, and goggles.
Our top recommendations for treating wolf spiders are a combination of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules broadcast around the yard and Supreme IT Insecticide indoors and outdoors. These products will kill wolf spiders when they come into contact with the spider directly, but they also effectively treat insects that Wolf Spiders feed on.
This method is extremely easy and effective for getting rid of wolf spiders in your yard and preventing them from entering the house.
It would be best to lay out glue traps near entry points with Solutions Pro boards to monitor for activity.
Step 1: Apply Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules
Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules is a reliable granular insecticide that kills many common insects for up to 90 days. This significantly reduces the presence of insects, taking away the Wolf Spider's food source.
The typical application rate is 2.3 pounds of Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to treat 1,000 square feet of lawn.
To broadcast the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, you could use a push or hand spreader like the Plantmates Scatterbox.
While both styles are easy to use, a push spreader may be better suited for larger lawns as it holds more granules and can cover a lot of ground quickly.
If you need to spread granules on a flowerbed, around trees, or cover a smaller area quickly yet precisely and want to do it precisely, the Plantmates Scatterbox hand spreader is ideal.
Determine how much Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules to use by measuring the square footage of the treatment area. To do this, measure the length and width of the treatment area in feet, then multiply them together (length X width = square footage).
Broadcast the granules uniformly over your entire lawn while walking steadily. Spread the Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules in flower beds, around trees, and where you have noticed insect activity.
Step 2: Perimeter Treatment With Supreme IT
Supreme IT is a broad-spectrum insecticide labeled for treating many pests, including Wolf Spiders.
It works great as a barrier treatment to keep pests away because it has a long residual effect that continues to kill for up to 90 days after application.
To apply Supreme IT, mix it with water in a handheld pump sprayer.
Apply Supreme IT at a rate of 1 oz. per gallon of water to cover 1,000 sq. ft.
Apply Supreme IT to your grass, mulch, flowers, bushes, and home’s siding. Spraying around the perimeter of the structure will create a band that will help control Wolf Spiders that try to enter. Spray three feet up the structure and three feet out.
You can also move your Supreme IT treatment indoors by treating cracks and crevices where wolf spiders may hide. Spray along baseboards, in garages, under appliances, and around windows and doors.
Step 3: Lay Out Solutions Pro Glue Traps
If the wolf spider you encountered in or around your home can't be found, you can try to capture them with Solutions Pro Glue Boards.
They come in increments of 12, which allows for great coverage around areas inside and outside your home where the spider will eventually be captured.
Place the glue boards in your attic, basem*nt, and garage where you identified spider activity.
With time, the glue boards will catch the spiders that survived treatment and make your home spider-free.
Prevention
After treating your home for wolf spiders, you must take preventative measures to prevent their return.If you don't want to encounter them in your home again, take steps to ensure that the wolf spiders do not invade your home in the first place. Here are some things you can do:
- Get rid of all sorts of clutter. Furniture, cardboard boxes, debris, and other items should never stay in the house for long because the more clutter there is, the more ample hiding spaces wolf spiders have.
- Use caulk and/or copper mesh to seal cracks and points of entry that the wolf spider may use to sneak into your home.
- If any part of your garden or yard is dark and barely gets sun, you might want to change that. Wolf spiders love dark spaces and like to hide there.
- Lastly, spray Supreme IT quarterly around your home and yard for continued insect and wolf spider control.
Key Takeaways
What Are Wolf Spiders?
- Wolf spiders are hairy, larger-sized spiders known to burrow in the ground rather than spin webs and move very quickly.
- Wolf spiders are fast-moving and are known to enter homes when temperatures become cooler, either in search of insects or warmth.
How To Get Rid of Wolf Spiders
- Our go-to methods of controlling wolf spiders involve a combination of exclusion measures, indoor and outdoor insecticide treatment with Supreme IT and Valar Plus Bifenthrin Granules, and trapping using Solutions Pro Glue Boards.
Preventing Wolf Spider Reinfestation
- To prevent wolf spiders from targeting your home, reduce points of entry and declutter as much as possible.
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